Raw Milk: Your Questions, Answered

Raw milk is milk exactly as it comes from the cow: filtered, chilled, and bottled, with nothing added and nothing cooked out. It is not pasteurized and not homogenized. At Dutch Meadows, our raw products are never heated above 105°F.

Raw milk has nourished families for thousands of years. Many of our customers choose it for its flavor, which people often describe as sweet, rich, and creamy. Others choose it because it is a whole, unprocessed food, the way God made it, with its natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria intact.

We believe that when raw milk comes from the right animals, on healthy pasture, with rigorous cleanliness and consistent testing, it is one of the most complete and life-giving foods available.

Very little, on purpose. Our milk is filtered, chilled quickly, and bottled. That is it. No heat treatment, no homogenizing, no additives.

Yes. Most people are surprised by how sweet and smooth it is. Because our milk is not homogenized, you will also see a natural cream line at the top. Give the bottle a gentle shake before pouring, or skim the cream for your coffee.

Along with raw cow milk, we carry raw milk cheese, raw kefir, butter and cream, and yogurt, plus raw goat milk and goat cheese. Browse the full lineup in our A2/A2 Cow Dairy and Raw Cow Milk store sections.

Dutch Belted cattle are a rare heritage dairy breed, easy to spot by the wide white belt around their black bodies. They were prized for the quality of their milk rather than sheer volume. A Dutch Belted cow gives less milk than a modern commercial Holstein, but what she gives is rich, creamy, and naturally sweet.

Every bottle you buy also helps preserve this heritage breed and keeps family farms alive and well.

Dutch Belted milk has uniquely small fat globules. The fat stays more evenly spread through the milk, which gives it a smooth, consistent texture without any mechanical processing. That is why we call it almost naturally homogenized. Many people also find small fat globules easier to digest.

Milk contains a protein called beta-casein, which comes in two main types: A1 and A2. Most cows in the country produce milk with a mix of both. A2/A2 milk contains only the A2 form.

Our cows have been tested, and our raw fluid milk and butter are 100% A2/A2.

Many people who struggle with conventional milk find A2 milk much easier on their stomach. We hear it all the time from customers, including some who had tried other raw milk before and still had trouble. Everyone is different, so start with a small glass and see how your body responds.

Not yet. At this time our fluid milk and butter are 100% A2/A2 tested. Check each product description for its details.

Yes. Our cows eat freshly grazed pasture in the growing season and stored grasses (hay or grass baleage) in winter, plus free-choice minerals for their health. No grain. Many people find grass-fed milk is naturally higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a beneficial fatty acid.

Our milk comes from a carefully selected group of Amish and Mennonite family farms in Lancaster County and the surrounding area of south-central Pennsylvania. We know each farmer personally, we visit their farms, and we hold every one of them to the same cleanliness and animal welfare standards we hold ourselves to. The milk you receive is local in the truest sense.

More than 20 years.

On open pasture, as the seasons allow, the way God intended. Healthy land grows healthy grass, healthy grass grows healthy cows, and healthy cows give milk worth drinking. Our protocols for the dairy herd:

• 100% grass-fed, no grain ever
• No growth hormones and no antibiotics
• No vaccines
• No GMOs, corn, or soy
• Land never sprayed with chemical pesticides or herbicides

Our raw milk is not certified organic, but our practices go above and beyond organic standards. USDA organic rules still allow grain and soy in a dairy cow's diet. Ours eat grass, period. No synthetic fertilizers, no chemical sprays, no GMOs, no shortcuts.

Safety in raw milk comes down to discipline and consistency, not luck. Every batch follows the same steps:

1. Udder prep. Each cow's udder is cleaned and sanitized, dried, and stripped before the milker goes on. Any cow showing signs of illness is milked separately, and her milk never goes in the tank.
2. Clean equipment. Milking equipment, lines, and bulk tanks are washed with soap and hot water before and after every use.
3. Rapid chilling. Milk is chilled quickly to 38 to 42°F right after milking.
4. Testing before release. Every batch is tested before it reaches a customer. If it does not pass, it does not ship. No exceptions.
5. Filter and bottle. The milk is filtered and bottled. Nothing is added and nothing is heated.
6. Cold chain. Milk stays at 38 to 42°F from pickup through delivery to you.

Raw milk produced with good animal care, rigorous cleanliness, and consistent testing has a strong safety record. There is a big difference between milk produced to be pasteurized and milk produced to be drunk raw. We produce for raw consumption, so every decision we make, from the farmers we work with to the tests we run, is made with that standard in mind.

No food is zero risk, and raw milk is no exception. Whether it is right for your family is a personal decision, and we respect that. Our job is to make sure that if you choose it, it comes from a source you can trust completely.

Every batch. We test on-farm before release, and the state tests us too.

Yes. We post our weekly Coliform Count and Standard Plate Count averages on our website, with six months of history, updated automatically as new results come in. We have nothing to hide. See our latest test results.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture certifies and regulates raw milk producers. Certified farms are inspected four times a year and must have their milk tested by a state-certified lab twice a month. Dutch Meadows is a PDA-certified raw milk producer, and we hold ourselves well above the minimum.

We are not formally listed with the Raw Milk Institute, but we follow most of its recommended practices. We are not affiliated with the Weston A. Price Foundation either, though we proudly promote its teachings and advertise in its literature. We also co-wrote an article on raw milk safety with Sally Fallon, the Foundation's president, which is a great place to start your own research.

Every single day. We would not sell your family anything we would not give our own.

We target a minimum 7-day shelf life from the day the milk reaches you. Clean, cold raw milk with a low coliform count keeps well and tastes great right up to the end.

Cold, and in the back of the fridge rather than the door, where the temperature swings every time it opens. Our milk is kept at 38 to 42°F from the farm to your door, so keep that chain going. Get your order into the refrigerator as soon as it arrives, and keep the cap on tight.

Milk that turns well before 7 days is usually a sign of a temperature problem along the way or elevated coliform bacteria, which our testing is designed to catch. Either way, let us know within 48 hours and we will make it right. We stand behind every product with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Raw milk does not rot the way pasteurized milk does. Because its natural bacteria are still alive, it slowly cultures and thickens into something like clabber. Many families use soured raw milk in baking, pancakes, or to make soft cheese. If it ever smells off or bitter rather than pleasantly tangy, throw it out.

Yes. Leave some headspace in the container for expansion, and thaw it slowly in the refrigerator. The cream may separate a little after thawing, so give it a good shake.

Because we do not homogenize. The cream line is a sign of real, unprocessed milk. Shake to mix it back in, or skim it off for coffee, whipped cream, or homemade butter.

Create a free account and enter your zip code. Our system shows which options are available where you live:

• Home delivery on our own refrigerated trucks in select areas
• Neighborhood pickup at our drop sites
• Our farm store at 753 Country Lane, Paradise, PA

Raw milk availability depends on your location and delivery method, and the store will only show the products available to you.

We run on a weekly order cycle with a 10:00 am deadline that depends on your route. The next deadline is always shown on our home page. Orders placed after a deadline roll to the following week.

Yes. Our subscription program lets you set a recurring order, so you never miss a deadline. Subscribers also get 2% off every order, a free product on every order for life, and priority access to sold-out items. Many of our milk drinkers use it so the fridge never runs dry.

No. Leave a cooler with ice packs by your front door and we will take care of the rest. Our trucks are refrigerated, so boxes do not come with ice packs inside. Please get your milk into the fridge as soon as you can.

Both, depending on the product. Check each listing for its container.

Rinse and dry them, then hand them to our team at your pickup site or leave them on your porch if you have home delivery. We gladly reuse them. Please make sure they are clean: our team may turn away dirty bottles, and no credit is given for those.

Many of our customers who could not tolerate grocery store milk tell us they do just fine with ours. The combination of A2/A2 protein, small fat globules, and milk that has not been heated or homogenized seems to make a real difference for a lot of people. Everyone's body is different, so start small and see how you feel.

Some people with lactose sensitivity report that they tolerate raw A2 milk better than conventional milk. Raw milk still contains lactose, though, so if you have a diagnosed condition, talk with your healthcare provider before trying it.

Raw milk produced in a clean environment has a strong safety record. If you are pregnant, nursing, feeding young children, elderly, or have a weakened immune system, or if you have any specific health concerns, please talk with your healthcare provider first.

That is entirely your choice, and we respect it. If you pasteurize at home, you are still starting with the same clean, tested, A2/A2 milk. If you drink it raw, you can review our test results and know exactly what the data says.

We encourage every family to do their own research. Good starting points:

• The safety of raw milk, the article we co-wrote with Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation
• The Raw Milk Institute at rawmilkinstitute.org
• The Weston A. Price Foundation at westonaprice.org
• Our farm blog